IsNobody Wants Thisa True Story? How Erin Foster's Real-Life Love Story Inspired the Netflix Rom-Com Series

Mar. 15, 2025

Simon Tikhman and Erin Foster; Kristen Bell and Adam Brody in ‘Nobody Wants This’.Photo:Charley Gallay/Getty; Adam Rose/Netflix

Charley Gallay/Getty; Adam Rose/Netflix

Warning:Nobody Wants Thisspoilers ahead!

The 10-episode series, which began streaming on Sept. 26, follows a budding romance between newly single rabbi Noah (Adam Brody) and sex podcaster Joanne (Kristen Bell) and a slew of naysayers who claim their relationship won’t work.

The show’s concept was born in 2019 when Foster, who is the daughter of Grammy-winning producerDavid Foster, was in the midst of converting to Judaism after meeting her now-husband Simon Tikhman. The couple first met at a Los Angeles gym in 2018 and got engaged the following year.

Foster and her husband, Tikhman, went on to wed during aNew Year’s Eve celebration in 2019and welcomed their first child, a daughter, in May. And while Tikhman isn’t a rabbi and the boatload of conflict main characters Noah and Joanne encounter in the show wasn’t true for Foster and her husband, Foster has still described the series as a “love letter” to her marriage.

From all the ways Tikhman is like the charming Noah to the “ick” that really did turn Foster off for a moment, here’s how Erin Foster’s real life inspired the new show.

Foster converted to Judaism after meeting her husband — but he’s not a rabbi

Erin Foster and Simon Tikhman in January 2024.Anna Webber/Getty

Anna Webber/Getty

InNobody Wants This, Joanne and Noah meet at a dinner party. Foster and Tikhman’s meet-cute, however, happened at a Los Angeles gym. And although Tikhman isn’t a rabbi (he is a record label owner and talent manager), he was still very much Foster’s muse when developing Noah.

Using her husband as inspiration, Foster set out to create a character who was “emotionally available, chivalrous, old-fashioned … but also really funny and confident,” she explained on an episode of her and her sister Sara Foster’s podcast,The World’s First Podcast. Most importantly, she said, Noah needed to have “rizz.”

Noah’s family history also mirrors Tikhman’s own upbringing, who is the son of Jewish Russian immigrants. “We didn’t come from similar backgrounds,” Foster added. “He came from a much more traditional place. I came from a more unconventional place. When we got together we were like, ‘How’s this gonna work?’ "

Like Joanne and Noah, Foster and Tikhman found a way, with theFavorite Daughterfounder converting to Judaism ahead of their New Year’s Eve wedding in 2019. However, while Noah and Joanne encounter many naysayers about their love — particularly Noah’s overbearing mother — that wasn’t true for the real-life couple.

That sunflower scene really did happen — sort of

Kristen Bell and Adam Brody in ‘Nobody Wants This’.Netflix

Netflix

In episode 6, aptly titled “The Ick,” an unprepared Noah meets Joanne’s parents for the first time. In an attempt to make a good impression, he shows up wearing a sport coat over his gym attire and a giant bunch of sunflowers in hand. The situation immediately gives Joanne the ick — meaning, her attraction to Noah turns into disgust — and she’s ready to call it quits right there.

The scene, with Noah’s “giant flower-holding hands and all,” was plucked from Foster and her husband’s own history. When the two started dating in 2018, Tikhman brought an oversized bouquet of sunflowers to meet Foster’s mother, Rebecca, for the first time, which subsequently freaked Foster out.

“The flowers were so long, and they kept falling over,” Foster recalled toNew York Magazine. “Sitting there, I was like, ‘Well, if someone cares this much, then that feels like a weakness.’ ”

“I personally don’t remember the sunflowers being that big,” Tikhman added. “But I do remember driving home and thinking, ‘It’s not about the flowers.’ ”

There are several other easter eggs from Foster’s life

Erin Foster and Sara Foster in 2022.Netflix

Aside from Foster’s true romance with her husband, other aspects of her life trickled into the series.

In one episode, Joanne and her sister Morgan (Justine Lupe) discuss the many things a potential romantic partner can do that give them an immediate “ick,” including running with a backpack on and chasing after a ping pong ball.

Other easter eggs come through Joanne’s wardrobe, which includes pieces from the Fosters' clothing brand Favorite Daughter, and Morgan’s “Fatigue Sisters” comment — a nickname Foster and sister Sara have given themselves as well as the title of a 2021 podcast episode.

Joanne’s sister Morgan isn’t like Foster’s sister Sara

Kristen Bell and Justin Lupe in ‘Nobody Wants This’.Hopper Stone/Netflix

Hopper Stone/Netflix

InNobody Wants This, the juxtaposition between Noah and Joanne’s families is stark. While Joanne’s family isn’t an exact match of Foster’s there are parallels. Foster’s parents divorced when she was young, and have since moved on to different relationships. (Foster is currently married toAmerican IdolstarKatharine McPhee, with whom he shares a son,Rennie.)

Then there’s Morgan, Joanne’s younger sister, podcast co-host and best friend. Yet, Morgan is not based on Foster’s real sister, podcast co-host and business partner Sara. “Morgan is definitely not me, but she is such a fun character,” Sara shared onThe World’s First Podcast.

“The sister character is not like Sara at all,” Erin reiterated on the podcast. “That was intentional, too. I wanted to create a fun sister dynamic.”

source: people.com